Ex-Red Sox Reliever Returns To AL West Team In Free Agency

Relief pitcher Chris Martin will not be returning to the Boston Red Sox after a dominant two-year run with the franchise.

The 38-year-old, instead, will make a return to the Texas Rangers. Martin agreed to terms on a one-year deal with Texas on Monday, per-team announcement, securing the right-hander’s second career stint with the Rangers. Martin debuted with the Rangers in 2018 and made 38 appearances for them in 2019 before being traded.

Martin, who turns 39 in June, first joined the Red Sox two offseasons ago on a two-year, $17.5 million contract. Quickly, he became Boston’s go-to setup man and recorded an impressive 1.05 ERA across 55 reief appearances in 2023. Martin followed up his debut in a Red Sox uniform by logging a 3.45 ERA in 44 1/3 innings pitched this past season, which was still solid enough to generate market interest.

Boston expressed its interest in retaining Martin this winter. That was, however, before the club had signed Justin Wilson and Aroldis Chapman in free agency, along with adding starters Garrett Crochet, Walker Buehler and Patrick Sandoval — which allows for arms in last season’s rotation to assume roles in the bullpen in 2025.

“Obviously it’s pretty clear the value he had,” Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow told reporters at the GM Meetings in November, per MassLive’s Christopher Smith. “We saw that when he was pitching and when we didn’t have him available to pitch. And so we know we have some work to do in kind of rebuilding the bullpen and obviously could see there being a fit there.”

Martin was born and raised in Arlington, Texas, making his latest big league contract a homecoming. The Rangers, meanwhile, are two years removed from their last World Series title and fresh off a 78-84 postseason miss in 2024.